


Johanna Mason’s Backstory

by longkissgnite



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Johanna is a he/him lesbian, johanna has had it rough but he’s still stellar, mentions of childhood neglect, mentions of family death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:09:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25080664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longkissgnite/pseuds/longkissgnite
Summary: A headcanoned backstory for Johanna Mason to fill in his life predating the books
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3
Collections: THG Character Backstories





	Johanna Mason’s Backstory

⠀⠀⠀⠀Johanna Elizabeth Dawn Mason had been fighting long before his name was called out when he was seventeen, as long as he could remember the odds seemed determined to be anything but in his favor.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀Which was fine, by the way, the Mason girl didn’t /need/ anyone. Oh no, the Capitol made sure of that a long time ago. When he was just born he had lost his mother, within minutes of his existence he already had a kill list. Yes, his father always had been sure to assure the young girl that it wasn’t his fault, that his mother was weak to begin with.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀”Then why’d she have me?” Was a question he asked frequently, and the answer was always “because you are worth it.” Was he? He didn’t think so.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀He wasn’t sure he was worth much when his father remarried when he was four and had another child, another girl. She became some /prize/ in his father’s eyes. And that was fine, anyway. Since the woman, Adele, came into their lives his father paid less and less attention to him.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀So he knew how to get by, Johanna knew how to take care of himself. And then at five, he knew how to take care of his sister too. Cassandra was only two when their parents died, and /what/ was a seven year old supposed to do? Their parents died in some fire apparently, Johanna wasn’t all too sure he just knew what the peacekeeper told him when he came to their door. He never looked into it himself, people said it was because he didn’t care, but really he just knew he couldn’t handle knowing.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀An aunt, his step mother’s sister, took them in. But they were already poor and had children of their own. Which was fine, he knew how to care for himself and with every day was getting better at taking care of little Cassie. Until one day things started being less fine, until one day there was less food on their plants, until the sisters were getting one plate between them. Over those months life was /hell/. And what was he supposed to do? Nothing he did could change anything. He could only be angry. And angry he was.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀After months of being neglected, Johanna told a school teacher. Before supper that night the sisters were taken to the Home, a large house in 7 that took in unwanted kids. How was Johanna supposed to tell his four year old sister that not only was she unwanted, she was basically worthless.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀The sisters were separated due to their ages. Little Cassie who never had to learn how to take care of herself, never learned how to go to bed hungry because Johanna did so many times for him, the system, the Capitol, failed her.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀Johanna saw her as much as he could but it wasn’t often enough, he was only nine but if he had just been there /more/. Been there more before their parents died, or before their aunt and uncle sent them off. If he had just done /something more/ he wouldn’t have gotten called to the head administrator’s office during the final hour of school one day, when he was only ten. If he had just been better to his poor sister somehow, maybe he let jealousy of her get between them, he tried not to let it but maybe he had and didn’t notice. Maybe if he was just smarter, or kinder? He didn’t know. He just knew he was told to sit down (something he didn’t do well) because the news they had for him would be hard.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀Cassandra had gotten sick, as plenty kids do in the winter. But she wasn’t strong, she wasn’t toughened up. The sickness got to her. They never even thought to /tell/ Johanna that his baby sister was sick, they never thought that that would be important. Instead they’re telling him she /was/ sick. He knew what was coming before they said it. Little Cassie had died. Little Cassie had died in the home that Johanna all but /fought/ for them to be in. The home that was supposed to keep them safe, let them grow up and soon he could’ve gotten a job, moved out and taken his sister with him. Not anymore.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀Something shifted in the girl that afternoon, always a bit passive, opinionated by quiet, it wasn’t there any longer. He became loud, aggressive, mean. Other kids called him ruthless, or heartless. He didn’t really care. The only thing he cared about died. Died when Panem, when the Capitol, was meant to keep her safe. Johanna didn’t give two shits who liked him and what they thought of him.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀At fourteen he started working in a lumberyard. The earliest he could, and even earlier than he /should/. It wasn’t about the money, he hardly made much anyway. It was about having something to do. Something to work on so he could grow up. And what would he do? When he did reach grown up? Nothing. Work in the lumberyard until he died, he supposed. Dying in the games would be nice, put some honor in the Mason name but who possessed it anymore? Him? A worthless girl who wouldn’t be passing it on anyway. What did it /matter/.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀He still doesn’t know if getting his named called was a dream or a nightmare, a blessing or a curse, but no one was surprised when he took to the stage blank faced. Johanna Mason, the violent little girl, he should be grinning, he should be /happy/. But no one out there knew he was known for his violence. Not one potential sponsor or opponent knew he’s started more fights than he’s ended.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀Blight told him on the train to be weak, to play it small. He talked to Johanna’s stylist and he was dressed so /petitely/ it made Johanna sick. This wasn’t /him/. He didn’t want to die a stranger. But Blight promised this is how he stayed /alive/. So he did it, he played along with the Capitol.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀And he won. He got sponsors by sharing his “sob story” how his parents and sister died, leaving out the pieces of abandonment, including the new piece of how winning the games may give him a new family in the Capitol. He didn’t want a new family, he wanted to be free from it all. But sure, fine, whatever. They didn’t need to know him anyway, he didn’t want them to. He gave up not wanting to die a stranger. What did it matter, one way or another the Capitol always won.  
⠀⠀⠀⠀At least, he had nothing to lose. The Capitol was betting a lot, he didn’t even value himself. He didn’t /care/ if he won their games, if he beat them after. And a loose cannon was more dangerous than one tied down. A loose cannon could talk, it could tell secrets, it could do a lot of damage before you can tie it down again.


End file.
